For a soap that had decades of history, GL had so many returns that fizzled throughout its run....

India (90s)

Nola (90s)

Amanda (90s)

Mindy (After Kimberly Simms departed)

Alan (CB's return in the mid 80s)

What's the thought on Mary Stuart coming on as Meta in the late 90s? At the time, when I was a semi follower of the show, I was thrilled--not only at the casting, but because the hundreds (!) of GL early 50s radio episodes I had listened to were all around Meta and I had wondered what happened to the character. Back then I could only watch GL when I was not at school--so maybe once or twice a month but I remember her just kinda disappearing... Great, even brilliant idea, not well handled (which is true of many of these comebacks--and makes one wonder about other flop comebacks liek Cecily on AMC just because there was no real reason or demand to bring her or a character like her back to the show).

Off the top of my head (some of these date back, of course):

-Noelle Beck's return to LOVING in the 90s

You mean her three or so episode cameo in the final few months? Cuz I loved her for most of her 90s stint...

I wouldn't consider Meta's return a fizzle. For one thing, it was never expected that Meta Bauer would ever even be back on GL, so I think a lot of fans were grateful for whatever they could get. It was very unfortunate that Mary rarely appeared from 1997-1999 or so, but then she might have been ill at this time.

I think that someone like Mary Fickett's return as Ruth falls more into this category.

As for Mindy -- for me she does not count as a fizzled return because I don't think you can count a recent return of a character with new actors in the role. Any returns of Kim Simms or Krista Tesreau were successful, it's just that the show never cared about bringing Mindy back full time.

I dunno, I totally get your point re Meta, but I know as a loyal viewer with AMC we were just thrilled to see Fickett back--no one at the time thought at all it was gonna be even a recurring thing.

I dunno, I totally get your point re Meta, but I know as a loyal viewer with AMC we were just thrilled to see Fickett back--no one at the time thought at all it was gonna be even a recurring thing.

Yes but I think at the time it was sort of implied in the soap magazines that it would be more than once. Otherwise I don't think they would have let Lee Meriwether go (I know she might have left due to some contract negotiation thing but she was willing to return again a few years ago so it can't have been that tense).

I did expect more seeing Mary as Ruth again. She was fine, don't get me wrong, but what she probably was to the family before was no longer there. The Martins were on there way to being destroyed at this time and her Ruth seemed more like what they used to be, before they became so sanctimonious and so focused on persecuting evildoers while protecting their idea of saints.

At the time I used to watch the Seattle program Soaps with Cathy R--and she made it clear it prob would never happen again. I know cuz it was one of the times I made sure to get a new video tape and saved it--something I didn't usually do. I *thought* Lee was on recurring anyway?

I actually think the Martins as a family stood solid, miraculously until 2001 or so. In hindsight I wish they woulda killed her off, but I also get why they didn't. I do get what you mean though--they were already starting to write Ruth and Joe as a mythical grandparent team.

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by EricMontreal22

Lee was under contract until sometime around 1998 I believe, then left because negotiations broke down.

For me the Martins were never the same after the "let's hound Dixie into a miscarriage for her own good" story. It didn't help that the family mostly became Joe/Jake/Tad. They desperately needed a variety of personalities. Sadly that never happened, and of course, Frons hates core families anyway, so when he came in they were done.

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by CarlD2

CCBobby & Greenlee were very good in the little they had together.

They sure were. Here's 2 good scenes of them. Best couple that didnt happen

I do Anita wasn't bad IMHO but was completely useless when Bobby left--and then if anything it seemed like Julia came in to replace her boring "random nurse" role. (and yes Bobby and Greenlee were tested ina few scenes and were charming I thought--I remember one in an elevator). Greenlee needed someone like him to set her off--maybe David was too extreme (though I liked them at times) but Bobby was a bit liek Leo--a charming schemer who DID have reluctant morals. She doesn't need to be paired with the Knight in White Armour type character--

One more I just though--another McTavish, was when they brought back the outstanding Broadway performer Tonya Pinkins as Livia. The show was lacking in Black females at the time, and it shoulda been dynamite, but she just faded away. I kinda wonder if all these lame returns were McTavish's fault--she seemed othave the idea and story for them to come on and then someone else just allowed them disappear (the same way Brooke did, a character McTavish, however dismally, loved writing for for years).

An example of Fronsian intervention at its worst.

I liked Anita at first and was a fan of her and Bobby but once they split, it was obvious that it was he that made her interesting. He could stand on his own but she couldnt. She was a complete bore and useless without him and putting her with Aidan was total snoozeville.

IA on Livia. I wish more was done with her, but honestly I never expected them to, so thats why I wouldnt say her return fizzled. She wasnt rought on for anything major.

Was it Eakes who wanted out? I thought it was just contract negotiations gone bad with Eakes jumping ship to ABC, exactly the same thing that later happened with Heather Tom. Either way, Macy's return was going fantastic--the pairing of her with Deacon along as being a fiery nemesis to Brooke and Amber was working quite well until they killed her off again(!) because, um, you know, they couldn't recast or anything like that.

Im not sure but I read that BE wanted out to take the role over at AMC. Her return was great til the exit. I hated how abrupt it was

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by Cheap21

Bobby should have been a very strong longterm character. Christian Campbell is a charismatic and quirky actor, something soaps used to excel at. I wish he'd been there to play the material given to the poor Brian Gaskill.

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by CarlD2

As for Mindy -- for me she does not count as a fizzled return because I don't think you can count a recent return of a character with new actors in the role. Any returns of Kim Simms or Krista Tesreau were successful, it's just that the show never cared about bringing Mindy back full time.

Well I included Mindy's return without Kimberly Simms in the role because if I recall, the show wrote out Mindy for a few weeks/months and later brought the character back with a new face. Storywise they had used Mindy's almost wedding with Nick to usher her out of town for a bit, and had her return somewhere down the line.

Well I included Mindy's return without Kimberly Simms in the role because if I recall, the show wrote out Mindy for a few weeks/months and later brought the character back with a new face. Storywise they had used Mindy's almost wedding with Nick to usher her out of town for a bit, and had her return somewhere down the line.

Krista & Kim were the best Mindys. That's a character I wished was a long term character during the latter years. Trish and Mindy should have made their way back to springfield to live by 1998 or 1999.

The reason the return fizzled was because Barbara Crampton was not right for Mindy Lewis.

I wouldn't consider Meta's return a fizzle. For one thing, it was never expected that Meta Bauer would ever even be back on GL, so I think a lot of fans were grateful for whatever they could get. It was very unfortunate that Mary rarely appeared from 1997-1999 or so, but then she might have been ill at this time.

I think that someone like Mary Fickett's return as Ruth falls more into this category.

As for Mindy -- for me she does not count as a fizzled return because I don't think you can count a recent return of a character with new actors in the role. Any returns of Kim Simms or Krista Tesreau were successful, it's just that the show never cared about bringing Mindy back full time.

I think the Meta return definitely was a success for one thing, just the mere fact that Mary Stuart was cast at all...the numbskulls at the net, or P & G thought she was too old for the part..so Stuart had to audition and I think she rocked that part. Second of all, she came on in for a big storyline for one regime, (McLaiby) but didnt start going until a new regime had taken over...so her BIG storyline was dropped, but it was a typical goofy storyline for the anniversary, Michele is the reincarnation of Mary Bauer (who????) and Zachary is the gaurdian angel of the Bauer family (who was apparently off dancing at heaven's white party when Bill was pushed out of a window, Hillary was blown up by Susan Piper, and Mo took the fatal plunge off of the road) who falls in love with her again but can't because he is not human. Thankfully they dropped that, and they could have dropped Meta.

A big agree that she disappeared for long periods of time..but a lot of that was due to Stuart's health. But when she was ON, and not in a Hogan Sheffer/Gautman way off shuffling Nancy Hughes on to say "dear," and disappear. Meta was a tough old broad who could give a slap down as fast as a "dear." One of my favorite scenes was during Thanksgiving, and Buzz just lost Selena, and they had Buzz go off as usual, and Deas was chewing the scenery as usual, flapping his arms and giving it to Harley, Rick and Frank, and then Meta says, "Are you going to start with me now Buzz Cooper," and he just raises his arms and says something like, "I may be crazy but I'm not NUTS." Finally, someone put that loudmouth in his place.

OLTL - Mitch Laurence's returns. ALL OF THEM. I wouldn't even say fizzled. I would say crashed and burned and sent through a woodchipper.

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by applcin

What would you guys say about the Days, serial killing returns via the island from a few years back?

Another fizzle was Carrie and Austin in 2005. Both characters should have stayed away

OLTL

Joey (2003)

Kelly (2010)

B&B

Morgan

Heaven's white party. That's hilarious. I had forgotten about that Thanksviging episode. At the time I was very annoyed that Thanksgiving had become Buzz's misery hour -- it gave me bad flashbacks of 94-early 95. I remember now when Meta stood up to him. Claire Labine wrote a lot for Meta. There was some good stuff when she and Claire argued over Michelle's labor, and then when she read the Declaration of Independence at the 2001 Bauer barbecue. It's a shame she passed on not long after they started using her again, and that they were then too lazy to even acknowledge Meta's passing, or Mary's beyond a title card onscreen, which was misspelled. At least Mary did get an honorary Emmy the year before she passed away.

I remember there were rumors that Michael Laibson wanted to cast his mother as Meta, which he denied.